8th seed Liudmila Samsonova takes on the in-form Barbora Krejcikova in the round of 16 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open on Thursday.
The 27-year-old has had a fine season so far. She started by playing in the Adelaide International 2. After defeating Alison Riske-Amritraj in the first round, Krejcikova lost to Daria Kasatkina in the round of 16. At the Australian Open, Krejcikova eased past Sara Bejlek, Clara Burel, and Anhelina Kalinina in the first three rounds before losing to Jessica Pegula in the fourth round. Krejcikova emerged victorious in the doubles competition of the Australian Open alongside Katerina Siniakova.
Krejcikova began her Abu Dhabi Open campaign with a comprehensive win in straight sets against Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-1, 6-4.
The Russian star has not been in great form this season. She lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in the Adelaide International 1 after beating Zhang Shuai in the first round. In the Adelaide International 2, Samsonova was ousted in the first round by Amanda Anisimova. Samsonova got the better of Jasmine Paolini in the first round of the Australian Open before losing to Donna Vekic in the second round.
Th 24-year-old came back from a set down to defeat Claire Liu in the round of 32 of the Abu Dhabi Open. The match ended 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in favor of Samsonova.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have never crossed paths as yet.
Prediction: Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets.
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